FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 16, 2012
Contact: Sarah Geary
Phone: 203-597-3444
Email: sgeary@waterburyct.org
WATERBURY’S CHASE PARK SELECTED TO RECEIVE NEW PLAYGROUND FROM KaBOOM!
Playground to be Built in One Day. Community Volunteers Needed!
WATERBURY, CT - KaBOOM!, Inc. has teamed with the American Heart Association and the Connecticut Community Foundation in Waterbury to provide new playground equipment for Waterbury’s Chase Park. KaBOOM! is a national non-profit dedicated to saving play for America’s children. The organization’s mission is to create great playscapes through the participation and leadership of communities.
The 8-10 week playground planning process will begin with a Design Day, in which children and parents design their dream playgrounds. Design Day is scheduled for April 18, 2012, at Chase Park House, 150 Sunnyside Avenue. The children’s portion of the event begins at 4:00 p.m., and the adult portion begins at 5:00 p.m. The process will culminate on Build Day, when approximately two hundred volunteers from the community will descend on Chase Park to build the custom made playground. Build Day is scheduled for June 23, 2012.
“I am extremely excited about this unique opportunity. KaBOOM!, the American Heart Association and the Connecticut Community Foundation are remarkable organizations and it is a privilege for the City of Waterbury to be working with them,” said Mayor O’Leary. “The community engagement aspect of this project will provide residents with a sense of ownership in the new playground and create a strong feeling of pride in the neighborhood.”
The Margaret M. Hallden Fund at the Connecticut Community Foundation provided funding to the American Heart Association for the project.
The City of Waterbury is currently seeking volunteers to construct the playground on Build Day. For more information about becoming a volunteer, please call Debbie Damicis at 203-574-8292.
About the Margaret M. Hallden Fund
In 1984, the Connecticut Community Foundation received a bequest from Margaret M. Hallden, wife of Karl W. Hallden who founded the Hallden Machine Co. in Thomaston. In her will, Mrs. Hallden requested that the local chapters of the American Heart Association and American Cancer Society be considered for funding from the income of the Hallden Fund. As of 2011, Margaret Hallden has given more than $3.5 million to support heart and cancer care in Greater Waterbury.
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